I deleted the message and pushed it out of my thoughts. I was about to call Mason when I decided to delete all of our text messages too. I deleted everything, breathed out a relieved sigh and dialled Mason’s number.
He didn’t answer. I didn’t want to leave a message, so I just hung up. Much as I wanted to forget about our argument, I knew it would be worse if I left dealing with it until the morning. It was just starting to get dark outside. I grabbed my jacket and shoved my trainers back on.
Chapter Seven
It was a nice night. Warm and quiet. I took the long route to walk past the café. It was closed now, the windows dark. I moved closer to double check the opening hours on the door. Crack of dawn to just after lunch-time. I was going to have to come up with a stalking plan. A visit in the morning would tell me if she’d attracted another demon. That would be my starting point. I continued on to Mason’s house and only hesitated once I was at the door.
I could hear him inside, yelling at his little brother to keep the sound down on his TV. It was pretty loud, I supposed. The action movie sounds reduced a tiny little bit, then a tiny little bit more after Mason shouted his brother’s name in his warning tone. I had to smile.
So what if Mason didn’t like my best friend? They didn’t need to like each other.
I let that thought sit for a second. It doesn’t feel right, but I don’t know how else to deal with this. It was easier somehow when they were both just my best friends. Ignoring each other and making the occasional snide comment seemed normal then. Now? It’s probably kind of pathetic, but I just want them to get along.
Sighing, I rang the bell and crossed my arms while I waited.
Mason opened the door about a minute later, his irritable expression left over from harassing his brother shifting quickly as his gaze found mine.
“Tina. I didn’t think…” He shook his head. Shocked. I can’t blame him. Probably thought I was going to leave town again to avoid facing him.
“I’m sorry I just walked away like that. I was mad.”
“I’m sorry I said those things about Lucy,” he said, stepping back and letting me into the house.
“You should be,” I told him as I went inside. “She’s my best friend, Mason. I know she’s not perfect, but who is?”
He closed the door behind me and pulled me into a hug. “I’ll try not to be such an arsehole from now on, I promise. Will you forgive me?”
“Maybe,” I said. “You’re going to have to try really hard to get along with each other.”
He laughed. “I promise.”
“Okay then.” It was just that easy to forgive him. I suppose that’s what makes it love.
He leaned in to kiss me and stopped just short of my lips. “There’s more for me to be sorry about than talking shit about Lucy.” He sighed and pulled back a little.
My heart started to hammer. What was he talking about?
“We’ve avoided talking about it, but we really should.”
“You’re starting to worry me.”
“That night in our old high school.”
Oh, that. Why did he have to dredge that up?
“Can’t we just leave the past alone?”
“I didn’t know what to do when everything happened the next day. Everything happened so quickly. I was in shock and I messed things up…”
“I know. We don’t have to talk about it, Mason. Honestly.”
“I fucked up then, and I’m worried I’m going to fuck up again.” He lifted my chin to make me look him in the eyes. “I don’t want to lose you like I did back then.”
“You’re not going to lose me,” I told him. “We both made some big mistakes back then. Let’s just move on, okay?”
It felt desperate to be staring at him, begging with my eyes for him to let the past go. It hurt to think about how easily he walked away after I admitted how I felt about him. I knew there was so much more to it than that, but that’s what my thoughts caught on every time I looked back.
“Just… I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Hearing him say that while he held my gaze in earnest was enough to melt me.
“Damn,” I whispered. Forever talk in that low sexy voice was too much to handle.
He kissed me, and all thoughts of the past dropped out of my head.
Chapter Eight
I took a walk around to the café while Mason was making breakfast for his brother. It should have been open, but it wasn’t. I cursed under my breath, but I wasn’t that surprised, not really.
The woman was still sloth demon bait. She was likely in bed.
Sighing, I headed back around to Mason’s place. He was coming out when I got there, dressed for work. I waited for him at the gate. He took my hand once he had it closed over.
“You’ll need to bring more clothes over if you’re staying the rest of the week.” He mentioned it as we walked.
I thought about it and realised that short of the few hours I’d slept for the day before, I hadn’t actually stayed at the flat in the last two weeks. “Have I moved in with you?”
“Now, there’s a nice idea.”
“Um, I was joking.” Panic swelled in me and I wasn’t sure exactly why. I told myself it was a little soon, and I wasn’t sure how Lucy would feel about me moving out. I’d barely just moved back in with her.
“Well, think about it.” He ran a hand though his hair. It was still damp from the shower. He didn’t own a hairdryer and he’d given me dodgy looks when I tried to give him mine to use.
“I’ll think about it. You think about how much of a pain in the ass it’ll be when I’m leaving my stuff all over your clinically clean house.” There were no bad points on my end. He was a good cook and super-efficient at housekeeping. “How would Fergus feel about it?”
“Fergus should count himself lucky he gets fed and watered every day. He has the cheek to moan about the pocket money he gets, but he turns a whiter shade of pale whenever I suggest he gets a Saturday job.” He laughed. “A couple more years and he’s not getting a choice.”
I jumped when I felt my phone vibrate in my bag. I brought it out and saw I had a message from Piper. Totally random. She didn’t usually want to go out on a Sunday night.
“Lucy checking in?” Mason asked as I opened the message.
What the hell, Tina! Jimmy just told me what happened on Friday night. Text me back. I need to know what’s going on.
I stare at it, remembering Jimmy’s voicemail and wondering what the hell myself. He can’t really think we hooked up. Unless, maybe, he actually was on something the other night. I put the phone back in my bag. “It’s just Piper asking when I want to go for a night out.”
I really shouldn’t lie to him, but it’s second nature by now. All the dreamscape demon stuff I’ve had to deal with over the years made deception a necessity. White lies never hurt a fly, as my grandmother used to say. I couldn’t tell Mason an ex-fling called me thinking we hooked up and wanting to start seeing me again. That’s messed up. There’s no way I can let him know, but it’s starting to look like I’ll have to do something about it. I’ll need to call Piper back when I’m alone. Find out what the hell’s going on in Jimmy’s head right now.
“You should do something with her tonight.”
I glanced at him. “Um, what?”
“I’ve been monopolising your time. You should go see your friend. Doesn’t have to be tonight. Just whenever.”
The Starlight was suddenly in front of us. Another day of work ahead and I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Most people don’t like working that much, Tina.” He smiled at me.
“Most people don’t find it so hard to keep a job.” I was perversely proud of how long I’d held on so far. Part of it was working with him. He’d covered for me a couple of times when dreamscape stuff happened on the job. He was really helping me hold everything together.
So why did the thought of moving in together freak me out? I followed
him into the hotel, telling my brain to stop pulling on that thread. Turns out, I didn’t need to worry about stewing on it. That storm that had been brewing quietly in the background was just about to hit.
Chapter Nine
It was my lunch break before I got the chance to call Piper. Mason was stuck on the front desk checking in a bus-load of pensioners. I slipped outside and made sure I was far enough away to avoid any chance of Mason overhearing the conversation. Going to the park across the street was probably a bit paranoid, but it was a nice enough day to at least not seem suspicious.
Piper picked up in a few rings. “Tina, why didn’t you call me earlier?”
“Um, I was working. Piper, what’s going on?” I put the bag with my lunch inside on the bench beside me. I wasn’t really hungry, but I guessed that was because I was freaking out ever so slightly over the message Jimmy had left me.
“I was hoping you could tell me that, Tina. Jimmy said you hooked up on Friday night. I was about to tell him you had a new boyfriend and he just blurted it. So, what the hell?”
“Piper, I was with Mason on Friday night. All night. I don’t know why Jimmy would say that.” I’m so not telling her about the message. It’s deleted already, gone.
“He’s not a liar.” She sounded annoyed. “I mean, I know he can be a dick sometimes, but he’s not a liar.”
“I’m with Mason. I was with him all night. I haven’t hooked up with Jimmy at all since I got back to town. We texted each other a couple of times and that was it.”
She was quiet for a second. I had no idea what she might be thinking. Jimmy was more of a friend to her than I ever was. If it came down to me or him, she’d take his side.
“Is it possible he was high, or something?” I didn’t know what else to suggest.
She blew out a breath. “God, I really hope not. He used to be into all kinds of shit. It took so long for him to quit. Damn it.”
“I’m sorry, Piper. I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s not your fault. He just seemed so damned excited. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him you had some other guy. I wasn’t sure I should anyway, since I didn’t know what was going on. Now? This is intervention level shit.”
“If there’s anything I can do…”
“It’s probably better if you stay away from him. It’ll only make things worse.” She paused before she added, “I should get back to work. I’ll let you know what happens.”
We finished up and I took out my lunch. I still wasn’t really hungry, but at least Jimmy’s odd behaviour had an explanation. I forced half a sandwich down and drank most of my bottle of water before I went back into the hotel.
I put the bag away in the staff locker room and moved to the reception desk when I froze.
Jimmy was standing there, talking to Mason. He smiled when he gazed past Mason to lock eyes on me. His dark eyes weren’t hiding any demons, so at least that was something. I felt the colour drain from my face as Mason turned. Both of them staring at me at once was incredibly unnerving. I cleared my throat.
“Um, hi, Jimmy. What’s up?”
At the mention of his name, Mason’s brow creased. Fuck. This day is going to hell.
“Chrissie, I was looking for you.” He moved closer to the counter, keeping his eyes on me.
I froze in place, freaking out in quiet. Jimmy had no clue who Mason was to me, and Mason had been nice enough to not grill me about the guy I’d been texting right before we got together. I’d never expected something like this to happen.
“Jimmy, I’m at work.” I didn’t know what else to say. There were probably a million better responses, I just couldn’t seem to think of one.
“Did you lose your phone?” Oh God, he sounded half-desperate, half-amused. I didn’t like this. Something was off. Piper must have been right. He was back on the hard stuff.
“You should go home,” I told him, “You don’t look well.”
I knew Mason was standing there watching us, trying to figure out what Jimmy’s deal was. I didn’t want him freaking out, and I was worried about what Jimmy might say right now.
“Friday night meant something to you. Tell me it did.” Ah shit. He just had to say it, didn’t he?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I glanced at Mason. He was narrowing his eyes at Jimmy now, getting pissed off. “Jimmy, you need to leave. I’m at work.”
“Tell me you’ll meet me when you finish.”
“No. I don’t want to meet you.” I took a breath. “This is my boyfriend, Mason.”
Jimmy frowned at me, glanced at Mason and scowled. “What the fuck, Chrissie? You’ve been stringing me along?”
“No, Jimmy, I haven’t.” Hadn’t I? What was keeping in touch with someone you knew was interested when you already had a boyfriend? Ugh. I should never have texted him. I felt my face warm as his deepening scowl twisted his handsome features.
“You’re a goddamned fucking cock-tease bitch.”
That’s when Mason showed his teeth. “Get out of here before I throw you out.”
Every word was sharp and bitten out. He was ready to move and started to before Jimmy decided to leave. Mason went to the door and made sure he was actually leaving. I didn’t move. I felt like shit. Maybe if I hadn’t texted Jimmy, he wouldn’t have ended up doing drugs again. This would never have happened.
“So that was Jimmy.” Mason didn’t look too impressed. I didn’t blame him.
“He’s not usually like that. I need to call Piper.” It was the only thing I could think of. He needed help, he needed a friend.
“You need to call Piper?” He frowned at me. “What did he mean about Friday? We were together all day.”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” I shrugged helplessly. “Piper thinks he’s back on drugs. He used to be into some serious stuff. She’ll know what to do.” I hoped.
“Who was he to you?” He can’t drop it. I should have known this would happen. When Jimmy was just a name, he didn’t matter. Now that Mason had seen him flip out, he was going to fixate on this.
“We had an on and off again thing for a while before I left town. It was nothing serious. I thought we could stay friends. I was wrong.”
“You call him on Friday or something?”
I shook my head. “The last time I texted him was like a week ago. He was going to some beer festival thing with Piper and asked if I wanted to go too.”
“He’s on drugs?”
I shrugged. “That wasn’t like him. Drugs would make sense.”
He was quiet and I didn’t know what else to say. I took my phone out of my pocket and called Piper in front of Mason. Being secretive would only make him suspicious. I had nothing to hide. My stomach started to churn as I waited for her to pick up the phone. I could feel Mason’s gaze on me, burning my skin.
The call went to her voicemail. I sighed as I left a message. “Hi, Piper, it’s Tina. Jimmy was just here at the Starlight acting a little loopy. I thought you’d want to know. Call me back if you see him.”
I hung up and put the phone back into my pocket. Mason started to serve the first person who approached the desk, then left me in charge to answer the phone and go put in a room service order. I stayed out of his way while he was in a mood, thinking it would change, but he swung back and forth between faked pleasantries for the customers and stone-cold-silence whenever we got a moment alone. It was torture. I wanted to call him out for being an arsehole and storm out, but my job meant more to me than that, so I ignored the impulse and waited it out. I had no idea how long he’d make me wait.
Chapter Ten
Mason was quiet for most of the afternoon. Moody, pensive. I got on with work and ignored him. There was nothing I could say to make him feel better. He needed to get over it on his own.
I was glad when Lucy showed up close to the end of our shift with my car keys. She was in jeans and T-shirt, which was slightly more casual that what she’d usually wear even on a day off. That was the first sign
that something was bothering her. When her smile didn’t reach her eyes, I knew something was wrong.
“You look like you’re ill or something.”
She grimaced. “I wish.”
“What’s wrong?”
She sighed softly. “It’s probably nothing.” Her gaze drifted past me to Mason. “What crawled up his butt?”
I stifled my laughter. “Long story. I’ll tell you later.”
“You’re coming home tonight?” She sounded so hopeful.
I glanced back at Mason who busied himself with the computer. Yeah, I really didn’t want to spend all night feeling this awkward, but I also didn’t want to be a third wheel. “Is Dawson giving you a night off?”
“Things might be over with him.”
Shit. That was what was wrong. I should have known. Very few things actually upset Lucy. Break-ups were the big one. If she was ever crying, chances were it was over a guy. I watched her face. She had bags under her eyes that she’d tried to hide with make-up. She’d been crying already.
“Um, what? I thought things were great with you two.”
“So did I.” She shrugged limply. “You’ll be home tonight?”
I nodded. I couldn’t leave her alone when she was going through a break-up. Damn it, Dawson. Why are you doing this? Why now? When I have a pissed off boyfriend of my own, and a demonic possession that’s made me so uneasy I’m having weird guilt-laden dreams about evil twins.
“I’ll see you in like half an hour.”
She waved as she left. I sighed. I supposed at least maybe by the time I saw him again, Mason would be in a slightly better mood. “I’m staying at the flat tonight,” I told him, not bothering to explain.
He glanced up and nodded, before going back to whatever busy task he’d locked himself into to avoid talking to me since Jimmy had been in.
I couldn’t get out of the Starlight fast enough when our shift was done, even if I didn’t relish the idea of having to be a shoulder to cry on for the night. Lucy was in the kitchen making dinner when I got there, which went a long way towards cheering me up.
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